Nevada @ Fresno State preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 14, 2009 ) Fresno State 14, Nevada 52

In a season in which their Western Athletic Conference counterparts have received more publicity, the Fresno State Bulldogs have quietly put together another solid football season.

Veteran coach Pat Hill’s club (6-2, 4-1 WAC) has flown somewhat under the radar as the bulk of the conference’s publicity has gone to Boise State, which is competing for a BCS title game berth, and this week’s opponent, Nevada (8-1, 3-1), which is enjoying one of its most successful seasons in school history.

This matchup might be the most telling barometer for the Bulldogs, who have yet to face the toughest stretch of their schedule. They have been routed by Hawaii and Ole Miss, the only two clubs with winning records they have faced thus far.

Fresno will find a major challenge in No. 21 Nevada, which has one of the nation’s most productive offenses and has dominated this series over the past two years. The Wolf Pack took a 52-14 win in Reno last year and hammered the Bulldogs 41-28 in Fresno in 2008.

The game represents a homecoming of sorts of for Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who grew up in nearby Turlock, Calif. He had 118 rushing yards and two touchdowns and threw for another score in his previous visit to the school nearest his hometown.

Lately, it hasn’t mattered where the Wolf Pack play, as their production has been consistent at home and on their opponent’s turf. Nevada rolled up a school-record 844 yards of total offense in last week’s 63-17 road win over Idaho.

Kaepernick threw for 320 yards and five touchdowns and three running backs totaled more than 100 yards, with Mike Ball adding two touchdowns to go along with 101 yards on nine carries.

Nevada ranks No. 4 nationally in scoring offense at 44.2 points per game, and second in both rushing yards (317.8) and total yards (556).

Those numbers are bad news for a sometimes-leaky Fresno State defense that has yielded 49 and 55 points in its two losses. Last week, the Bulldogs held on for a 40-34 win at Louisiana Tech.

The Bulldogs have some punch of their own, as their 34.8 points per game ranks No. 20 nationally. They are led by NFL prospect Ryan Colburn at quarterback. The senior has thrown for 1,736 yards and 16 touchdowns while completing 64.5 percent of his passes. He also has rushed for 110 yards and three scores.

Fresno State’s rushing game is led by Robbie Rouse, who has 727 yards and six touchdowns on the season. Four other Bulldogs have helped out by rushing for at least 100 yards each.